2008-09-05 - 10:15 p.m.

...survived the first week back?...

The new chair of my department walked into our faculty meeting this morning and started the whole thing off with,

"Oh my God, eh?"

Must be an explicit sign of a stressed out west-coast Canadian.

I have already been pummeled by emails from concerned and occasionally irate undergrads in my course. Concerned because they inadvertently missed class, or are wondering where the assignments are. Irate because, well, "WHERE ARE THE LECTURE NOTES??" sigh. The old fogey in me thinks, what happened to the days when students were expected to take their own notes?

I started off the day by losing my wallet - I left it in a restaurant yesterday. After a mild panic, I discovered that the kind owners had found it and kept it for me. I decided to take this as a sign that I'm a little pre-occupied - but also that the gods are smiling on me. Another good sign came when the members of my department actually applauded me for my involvement in this committee from hell. A pat on the back feels kinda good, but you know, I think if I were asked to do this again, I'd probably go running and screaming in the other direction.

Today was booked with nonstop meetings until the afternoon department icebreaker. I asked Nanny to bring Susi up to Mountain U. so that people could meet her. There was nothing like walking up the hill towards her and watching her face break into a huge toothless grin, and then see her body do the little Susi Shake.

Susi has started doing a kind of dance when she's happy. I know it's dancing because she does it whenever music is on, and she's strikingly in tempo. Right now her favorite song seems to be Sesame Street's "Rubber Duckie," preferably the revised Reggae version known as "Do de Rubber Duck." She does this kind of happy, bumpy wobble to the beat of the music. Not bad for a 7 1/2 month old. At any rate, it's heart-stoppingly cute.

What's not heart-stoppingly cute is her new habit of waking up in a screaming fit late at night - something that's just started happening right now. Poor girl. Time for a little Mama-Luv I guess. Bye y'all, and have good weekends.